We aim to ensure that children have access to healthy, nutritious food at school in order to support their well being and their potential to learn. We also understand the central importance of food in people's lives, not just for their health but socially, culturally and for personal enjoyment. We can help set children's attitudes for the future; developing positive, balanced and healthy attitudes to food for life.

Lunches

Children and families can choose between having a school meal or bringing a packed lunch from home.

Every pupil in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 is eligible for a ‘Universal Infant Free School Meal’.

We encourage all families to take up the offer of a school meal as lunch times are a great opportunity to sit down together and enjoy a healthy and tasty meal, broadening tastes and developing social skills.

School Meals;

Our school meals are currently provided by Taylor Shaw. Hot, delicious, nutritionally balanced healthy meals are cooked on site by our team. This ensures children enjoying our meals get the energy and nutrients they need to excel at school.

Autumn/Winter Term Menu 2024-25

We are a nut and sesame free school. On entry you will be asked about any allergies and we work with our chef and team to ensure a safe and varied menu is provided for your child.

Packed lunch;

Although we encourage families to choose the school meal option you may provide a packed lunch for your child.

Packed lunches must be brought to school in a suitable labeled lunch box. We pride ourselves on being a healthy school and ask that no sweets, chocolate bars, or fizzy drinks are included in your child’s lunch; however, a small chocolate biscuit is acceptable. As we are a nut and sesame-free school, we ask that no nut or sesame-based products are brought to school in packed lunch boxes, including Peanut Butter, Nutella, and Hummus.

We would like to advise that following a settling period we would expect children to remain with either packed lunch or school dinners and only make changes at the beginning of each new term, as meal orders will be placed at least 10 days in advance.

Whole School Food Policy

Pupil Premium Benefits

Although every infant school pupil is entitled to a Universal Infant Free School Meal, it is still important that we ask if you are receiving any of the benefits listed below as this will also offer your child access to other advantages within school.

If you are receiving any of the benefits listed below and you have not previously applied for benefit related free school meals, please speak to the school office as we need to ask you to fill out the relevant form so that the school can process your application so your child can start to access additional entitlements and the school will receive extra funding to support this.

• Income Support
• Child Tax Credit (Provided You Are Not Receiving Working Tax Credit)
• Jobseeker Allowance (Income-based Only)
• An Income–related Employment and Support Allowance
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• National Asylum Support Service (NASS)

We appreciate that this is sensitive information and would like to reassure you that it will be treated in the strictest of confidence.

School Milk

Our school milk is supplied by Cool Milk Ltd. Outlined below are the simple steps you need to follow to register your child for school milk.

Under Five - If your child is under five years old the school office will enrol your child to receive free milk.

Over Five - When your child turns five years old the school office will send you a reminder to register and make a payment to Cool Milk. The quickest and easiest way to register is online at Cool Milk under the parent tab. Delivery will start from the next available date of order following receipt of a payment. (Registration and changes to registrations must be advised before 5pm on Tuesday for milk to be available to your child the following week.)

Alternatively, complete and return a registration form to Freepost Cool Milk, (no other address details are needed.) Registration forms are available from the school office.

Visit the Cool Milk website

Payment methods;

Online

Phone

Cash: At your nearest PayPoint outlet

Milk will then start from the next available date of order the following week. If you have any queries please call Cool Milk directly.

Cool Milk

School Fruit and Vegetables

The school also takes part in the National School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Children aged 4-6 years are entitled to a free piece of fruit each day at school, this is supplied directly to the school and includes bananas, apples, pears, easy peelers, carrots and raisins on rotation.

Tasty Tuesdays

Parent reps coordinate a rota of Tuesday donations. These are always platters of fruits or vegetables and children are given the opportunity to be 'brave' and try new foods. We use the mantra 'No has to try, no one has to like'. By removing the pressure to eat a new food and encouraging the children to explore with all their senses (not just taste) we have had a great success. 

Birthday Treats

At Strand we ask that parents do not send in cakes or sweets as part of their child’s celebration. Instead, we ask that families buy and donate a special book on their child’s birthday that can be shared in class and kept forever.